Middle Peak

Excellent experience. I would call this an easy to moderate hike. Some of the smaller trails are overgrown and we ran into more than a few fallen trees. The larger fire roads were easy to traverse. I ran into maybe a half dozen hikers over the 4 hour hike. The amazing feature of this hike was I was able to appreciate the scope of the destruction of the Cedar Fire. It was amazing, exhilarating, beautiful and sad all at the same time.
Good for day hikers and mountain bikers.

This whole are is quite incredible especially if you mt bike. Lots of endurance climbing and some scary fantastic down hills. Lots of trails! Last ride was about 25 or so miles, we started on the highway and rode towards the lake. We ended up, then, going up milk ranch to where the ST fire trail was and continuing past that. It was about a 5 hour ride and felt great. Make sure you have a map or ride with someone who know the way.

This hike was an adventure.
Hiked up Middle Peak yesterday starting from about Highway 79 mile marker 10.7, as described in Afoot & Afield, and returned to my parked car at the trailhead via the following loop route:
Marty Minshall Trail to
Sugar Pine Trail to
Middle Peak Fire Road to
Black Oak Trail to
Milk Ranch Road to
Highway 79
Parts of this moderately difficult ~6 mile hike are incredibly overgrown, specifically on the Sugar Pine Trail. Just short of bushwacking, really. Prepare to be covered in scratches (if your legs and arms aren’t covered) and soot (from climbing over Cedar Fire-​downed trees blocking the trail). If you have long hair do yourself a favor and wear a ball cap to prevent twigs from snagging in your hair; I was thankful I did. If you’re tall you may find some overgrown portions of the trail uncomfortable; I know my 6’4″ boyfriend wasn’t pleased with all the ducking he had to do.
Park for free in the gravel lot along Highway 79. To access the correct portion of the Minshall Trail you’ll need to cross the highway and look for the weathered wooden trailhead post and the faint narrow trail in the grass. For over half a mile you’ll hike parallel to Highway 79 before eventually reaching a clearing – where we saw a couple mule deer! – at the junction of Sugar Pine Trail around the 1 mile mark.
Sugar Pine Trail is the old Sugar Pine Fire Road, and it’s apparent on the left when hiking along the Minshall Trail: just look for the locked metal gate with stone columns. Prior to our hike I read in the «Trails» portion of the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park website that Sugar Pine Trail is closed «due to extremely heavy brush encroachment and numerous down trees,» but still wanted to check out the trail. At the entrance to the old Sugar Pine Fire Road I noticed a sign stating that the trail is not recommended. Since «not recommended» doesn’t mean the same as «closed» to me, on we hiked.
The going gets tougher as the Sugar Pine Trail diminishes to nearly nothing, opens up wide again, and diminishes repeatedly. Slow progress. If you’re an Afoot & Afield follower, then know that my boyfriend and I never noticed the second switchback or the old cabin foundation after 2.5 miles (referenced on Page 227 of the 2007 edition of the book). We did, however, eventually hit an obvious area of «patches of bracken fern,» and, shortly thereafter, Middle Peak Fire Road.
When in doubt when the trail gets tough, follow the orange ribbons placed along Sugar Pine Trail: they guided us to Middle Peak Fire Road just below the Middle Peak Summit as I’d hoped they would.
The rest of the hike to complete the loop? Piece of cake! Well marked downhill trails.
I was frustrated that the overgrown Sugar Pine Trail obscures views during much of the hike – Middle Peak’s rounded summit, which you never truly reach, isn’t even visible from the trail – but still give Middle Peak 4 stars for adventure, solitude, and wildlife.
R.I.P. Jerry Schad